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Captain’s Message The aerospace industry is among the fastest-growing industries worldwide. In 2025, the market size was estimated at 402.75 billion USD and is projected to double by 2034.

At Queen’s Aerospace Design Team (QADT), we are dedicated to pushing boundaries with the development of high performance & autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for national and international competitions in Canada, Europe, and the United States. With the continued growth in industry aerospace applications in recent years, QADT has seen an unparalleled expansion, and our dedicated team of more than 150 undergraduate students has not disappointed.

This year, the AEAC technical team developed 2 UAVs from the ground up to compete at the AEAC 2026 student competition hosted in Ottawa. This included a 3D printed vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone to map urban fires, as well as a heavy-lift quadcopter designed to autonomously extinguish fires using a water gun. While in parallel, the AIAA technical team developed a fully carbon fiber fixed wing aircraft optimized for long range cargo flights and banner towing.

Alongside the technical teams, the QADT research branch wrote two research papers for submission to the IMAV conference paper call and the VFS student design competition. Respectively, these papers focused on the application of compliant airfoils on efficiency gains in flight and the conversion of a tilt rotor aircraft to a hybrid electric engine to prove the feasibility of electrifying the aerospace industry!

QADT offers a unique opportunity for development and growth for students in any discipline,



including gaining technical experience in aero-mechanics, Electrical, and Software, and the opportunity to conduct research in a variety of unique fields, as well as the chance to gain experience in business and management. QADT is looking to continue its rapid growth and expansion by taking on like-minded individuals to not just continue the development of advanced drone technology but push the boundaries of what student teams are capable of.

We eagerly await your application.

‘Aviation is proof that given the will, we have the capacity to achieve the impossible.’

— Eddie Rickenbacker, WWI flying ace

Erin Payne

Mechatronics & Robotics Engineering ‘28

Purujit Kantiya

Mechatronics & Robotics Engineering ‘28

Enhancement on QADT is all about taking existing technology to the next level. We challenge the standard and research new methodology through optimization and innovation!

Each year the team submits a paper to the International Micro Air Vehicles (IMAV) conference on topics of their choosing. This past year, The Enhancement team researched the aerodynamic efficiency gains through the use of compliant airfoil mechanisms and In 2025 they researched the use of plasma discharge actuators to reattach separated airflow.



The 2025 team saw great success with their paper and were accepted into the IMAV conference giving them the prospect to present their work in Mexico!

As a general member on enhancement, you will be given the opportunity to contribute to the conference paper from end to end. At the beginning of the year you, alongside your team and manager, will decide on a topic to research through literature reviews and trade studies. Once a topic is chosen you are given the opportunity to contribute to the design and analysis you chosen solution.

In past years this has involved the use of CAD technics such as Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Finally, towards the end of the year, all results are compiled in a research paper that you will help write with the support of the team manager and Research Director.

A member of the Enhancement sub team can expect to gain skills in the areas of:

- Simulation software (CFD, FEA, etc.)
- Results validation and Analysis
- Research Paper writing

Application & Interview Details

We do not look at your resume as a deciding factor. We weigh it the least compared to your written application and interview.

DEADLINE TO APPLY: September 19th, 2026 (11:59 PM EST)

Interviews will occur in person after the deadline. We are happy to provide accommodation for these interviews, so please reach out to us and let us know how we can make the process more accessible for you!

Contact Information

Please email any questions or concerns to aero @engsoc.queensu.ca or text @queensaero on Instagram!

📌 Queen's Aerospace Design Team (QADT) - Enhancement Team Member (Canada)
🏢 EngSoc
📍 Canada